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BIG TEN CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPMarch 10, 2019Lisa BluderMegan GustafsonKathleen DoyleIndianapolis, Indiana Iowa - 90, Maryland - 76 Q. Does it give you confidence with the win tonight? LISA BLUDER: You know, this team has had confidence in themselves all year. We really feel like we just stumbled a little bit during the Big Ten season. We believed we were the best team in the Big Ten, and today they came out and they proved it. We got the best player, one of the best players in America with Megan, the best supporting staff that she has. Just absolutely amazing. Q. Have you seen a better performance from a player than Megan? LISA BLUDER: Nothing she does surprises me anymore. I mean, whatever we give her, she just goes after it and she does it, but I'm also so proud of the rest of the team tonight, knocking down free throws, controlling the ball at the end of the game. Hannah played a great game, as well. All of them. I mean, I hate to single out somebody, but obviously Megan, pretty special kid. Q. And Kathleen Doyle when it was tied, she went to the hole twice and made big baskets. LISA BLUDER: She had a great steal, as well, had a steal at half court. She's our defensive presence, and she showed it tonight. Q. What's it mean for you? You've done this before, but to see these guys finally get it? LISA BLUDER: Every time is special. I mean, these guys, this is a bond that we'll carry with us for the rest of our lives. They will always be Big Ten champs, and we will always carry this journey together, and that is something nobody can take away from us ever. Q. What can you say about all the effort they put in? LISA BLUDER: They're so tough. They're so physically and mentally tough. You're playing three games in three days, it's really easy to let a few aches and pains bother you. Not those guys. They were mission focused, and they wanted this. Q. (Inaudible.) LISA BLUDER: It's been like this all year. Tonight, yeah, she went down hard, but she's bounced back from back to back ACL tears. The kid knows how to be resilient. Hannah went down with an ankle sprain. Megan, three games, three physical games in three days. We had to also overcome some foul issues, and again, mental toughness, so strong in the third game, and again, in a conference like this, one of the best basketball conferences in America. Q. Have you ever had a game like this? MEGAN GUSTAFSON: I don't think so. I mean, this is a game I'm going to remember for the rest of my life. We did a wonderful job of just preparing for this tournament. We had a chip on our shoulder. It's all worth it right now. Q. Your teammates found you time and time again. MEGAN GUSTAFSON: They did. They did a real fantastic job day in and day out, and I have to credit them. Q. Do you know how many points you scored? MEGAN GUSTAFSON: No. Q. 45. MEGAN GUSTAFSON: Okay. Q. Did it seem like that? MEGAN GUSTAFSON: I don't know, I just wanted to really, really win, and I wanted to put everything into it, and my teammates trust me and I trust them. Q. (Inaudible.) MEGAN GUSTAFSON: You know, they're amazing. We were able to buckle down and get some stops, and I'm just so, so incredibly proud of how competitive -- and our coach, too. Credit to Maryland, they're a great team. Q. (Inaudible.) MEGAN GUSTAFSON: Yeah, I mean, it's incredible, that perseverance that we have. Every single game leading up to this game, we knew they were going to be difficult teams. They wanted it as bad as we did, but we just focused on our mission and what was important to us. We weren't going to get upset at any kind of calls or anything. Q. (Inaudible.) MEGAN GUSTAFSON: It means everything. This is the only thing I really cared about is winning with my team, winning this championship, and I couldn't be more proud of our team and how we showed resilience despite everything that was thrown at us in this tournament. Q. What gave you confidence on the court today? MEGAN GUSTAFSON: I wanted to win a Big Ten championship. That was it. We had a couple games where the adrenaline -- we needed that adrenaline, and today the adrenaline was there, and thankfully it was because I know a lot of us are tired right now, but we're going to soak this in and really bring it to the NCAA Tournament. Q. What was your biggest challenge tonight? MEGAN GUSTAFSON: You know, I think their physical level. They were very physical in the low post. They were really working hard and I had to make sure I put myself in the best position possible so my teammates could get me passes inside. Q. Coach calls you guys a family. What does this mean to share this whole tournament with your family? MEGAN GUSTAFSON: It's incredible. You know, this team has been amazing this past year, and I wouldn't want to be on any other team, that's for sure. When we got those warm-ups with "Family" across the chest, it really kind of embodied us. And another thing is our mantra is unbreakable this year. That's our mantra. We embody that every single day. We try to, and it really showed how unbreakable we are as a team right now. Q. Is this the most important day of your life? MEGAN GUSTAFSON: Yes, no doubt about it. This was the most important. Every single game is important, but this one meant so much. This is what I wanted coming to Iowa. I wanted a Big Ten championship. I just couldn't be more proud of how our team played, and it's a dream come true. That's for sure. Q. Can you just talk about your teammate and Hannah being named to the all-tournament team? MEGAN GUSTAFSON: It's amazing. You know, Hannah is an incredible post player down low with me, and she's really going to battle every single day, and she's just an incredible finisher, an incredible person. She works so hard in the post down low with me. You know, we went to Brazil this summer together and we worked hard there, and just to be able to keep playing with her has been really special. Q. (Inaudible). MEGAN GUSTAFSON: I was just crying, to be honest. I couldn't really get much words. But I think Hannah was like, we did it, we finally did it, and that's just been incredible -- it's really been a dream come true. Q. (Inaudible.) MEGAN GUSTAFSON: You know, we poured our heart into that game. And if we wouldn't have won, we would have been proud of our effort, that's for sure. You know, just the emotions that come with it, it's been pretty special. It's been hard to keep the emotions in check at the end. I knew we were going to win, and I was trying really hard to relax, but it was pretty tough. Q. (Inaudible.) MEGAN GUSTAFSON: Yeah, it's incredible. This is a dream come true for me, it really is. You know, I visualized this for four years, constantly, throughout every single season. To get this, it's pretty special, that's for sure. Q. Kathleen says she's never going to take the hat off. MEGAN GUSTAFSON: No, I'm not taking this off anytime soon. I'm probably going to sleep with it on, to be honest. Q. Will you wear it to classes? MEGAN GUSTAFSON: I'm for sure wearing it to classes, for sure. I'm not a hat wearer, but I'm wearing it to classes. Q. What did you think of Megan's performance? KATHLEEN DOYLE: Megan is the GOAT. There's no denying that. She's a great teammate, an even better person, and there's nobody I'd rather play with. Q. Now you've got to regroup, you've got the NCAA Tournament now. KATHLEEN DOYLE: Yeah, I think winning this championship puts us in a great position going into the NCAA Tournament, gives us confidence to hopefully get a high seed, and let's get Carver rocking. It's amazing. I had so much confidence in this team going into this tournament, and we got the job done. Q. Resilience, every time, every game, teams made a run on you, you guys were able to answer and get it done. What is that? KATHLEEN DOYLE: Yeah, I mean, our team motto is unbreakable. In those tough times if we break up and don't stay together as a team, then teams can break us. When we stay together as a team, 13 strong, nobody can break us, and that showed today. Q. What does it mean to get this tournament title? KATHLEEN DOYLE: Yeah, we basically lost the Big Ten regular season title, and that doesn't sit well with us, so we came out here. We knew that winning the tournament would feel just as good, and we didn't get both of them, but this is pretty special. Q. It was a tough, physical game, a lot of players going down on the sideline. Can you just talk about the perseverance of your team? KATHLEEN DOYLE: Yeah, I mean, it's Big Ten championship basketball. You know you're going to get a physical game. Maryland is a physical team in general, and we just came ready to play. I just want to give some credit to Maryland. They're an amazing program, and they played great today, but we just came out on top. We played strong, played together. I don't have any other words for it. Q. How much of that unbreakable thing that we were talking about yesterday, how much did that enter into this? KATHLEEN DOYLE: I mean, they went on runs today, but we stayed together as a group. Everyone stayed composed, and we were unbreakable. I mean, we got the championship. We cut down the nets, so unbreakable. It fits us perfectly. Q. Is this the most fun game you've ever played in? KATHLEEN DOYLE: Probably. I don't think high school state championships live up to this. This is fun. This is amazing. Q. What's next for you guys? KATHLEEN DOYLE: NCAA Tournament, make a deep run, hopefully get to that Final Four. Q. What were you thinking when they came out 5-0 before you guys even took a shot? KATHLEEN DOYLE: Yeah, I mean, we were just a little frantic to begin that game, but we settled in and got the job done. Maryland has been in the Big Ten championship game the past couple years. They've got players that have been in that situation before, but that was our first time in that game, so we just needed to let our nerves settle down, and we did that. Q. Do you know how many points Megan had? KATHLEEN DOYLE: A billion. How many did she have? Q. 45. You guys, foul trouble, injuries, seemed like you guys (inaudible) -- KATHLEEN DOYLE: Yeah, definitely. Our coaches do a great job of coming up with a great offense, and obviously Megan is pretty much automatic. So we have really great guards who just focus and try to get her the ball. And Hannah Stewart comes in and makes plays for us, too. You can't discard Megan because we have other players on our team that will make you pay. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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